Whether you have fair skin, a darker skin tone or land somewhere in the middle, it’s important to protect your skin from the sun. There’s no worse way to ruin an amazing day at the beach than getting home and realizing you’re as red as a lobster.
And even if you don’t burn easily (or at all), it’s still smart to shield yourself from exposure to the sun’s rays, since they can cause damage to your skin in other ways, including skin cancer and premature aging. That’s why wearing sunscreen is essential when spending time in the sun, whether you’re new to skin care or have a beauty routine locked down. You should even be wearing it indoors as part of your skin care routine (yes, really!).
To help you find the best sunscreen, we talked to experts about what active ingredients to look for and other important factors. We narrowed down a pool of 25 contenders and wore, applied and reapplied each of them for several weeks. Our pool included mineral and chemical broad-spectrum sunscreens with a minimum SPF of 30. We avoided sunscreens with oxybenzone or either of the two active ingredients the FDA proposed as unsafe (aminobenzoic acid and trolamine salicylate).
To be clear, we didn’t test how well these sunscreens protect skin from the sun; for that, we relied on information from the US Food and Drug Administration and the experts we talked to (more on this below). Too many variables like skin type, time of day, the sun’s intensity and more made it impossible to measure efficacy in our real-world testing. Instead, we had multiple testers with different skin types and tones test them for other variables such as feel, appearance on the skin, smell, ease of application and more.
After multiple weeks of testing, we found three sunscreens that stood out above the rest.
Best sunscreen
This sunscreen was an easy winner, according to our team of testers. This bright and pocket-sized sunscreen from Murad boasts potent vitamins and biofermentation technology to supercharge aging protection. This added benefit also helps even skin tone, in addition to the omega-packed chia seeds that nourish and strengthen skin resilience.
Best spray sunscreen
The Hawaiian Tropic SPF 30 spray sunscreen is broad-spectrum with a chemical formulation that has a super-light application and rubs into the skin immediately. It also smelled deliciously of coconut.
Best sport sunscreen
The Alba Botanica Sport Sunscreen’s broad-spectrum SPF 50 lotion met all the experts’ standards for offering stellar sun protection while avoiding the harsh chemicals the FDA proposed as unsafe. If you’re looking for a water-resistant sunscreen lotion that goes on fast or an option with little to no scent, we think the Alba Botanica Sport Sunscreen is the best to keep you covered.
Murad’s Multivitamin Clear Coat SPF 50 was our winner for best sunscreen, passing all our tests with flying colors. Knowing how important it is to wear sunscreen, we were mindful of picking one that would be easy to use and wear daily, which brought us to this lightweight, nourishing and clear sunscreen.
We found this broad-spectrum sunscreen to be invisible, unlike the average scented sunscreen that oftentimes creates an annoying white cast or leaves that gooey sunscreen sensation behind on your skin.
This sunscreen is also made with potent vitamins and biofermentation technology to prevent skin aging, hyperpigmentation, dark spots and uneven skin tone. When we tested it out, most thought it had an invisible application, although slightly slippery, from the start but we didn’t have a difficult time rubbing it into our skin.
One makeup-wearing tester found it smooth and light enough to wear under foundation and concealer, which she thought made it a great, everyday sunscreen to be worn with or without makeup.
We all noted it had a subtle and delightful orange scent. Some even compared its invisible and smooth nature to the Supergoop! sunscreen, sans the smell. One tester was blown away by its consistency and described it as “a completely different product compared to all sunscreens I’m used to.”
According to Sephora, this sunscreen is great for those struggling with uneven texture and pesky dark spots. A sunscreen will help prevent dark spots from getting darker, but this sunscreen is also infused with vitamin C to amplify protection. Aside from these elements, we liked the texture too, which another tester described as “thick and easy to apply,” adding that “a little goes a long way.”
The Hawaiian Tropic Everyday Active Sunscreen Spray achieved a perfect score in nearly every single one of our tests. Its spray function made it extremely easy to apply, and it has a wide and even distribution, making it easy to quickly cover your entire body with a swift pass; it clocked in with the fastest full-body application for the testers who tried it out.
The spray disappeared nearly immediately into the skin and didn’t leave any lingering color or sheen. It felt a little wet at first but soon absorbed, and we completely forgot we’d even applied it. The spray’s tropical smell of coconut was pleasant, though it has a hint of chemicals and is quite strong overall, which could deter someone who has a sensitive sense of smell.
In addition to being a quick and easy sunscreen to apply, the Hawaiian Tropic Everyday Active Sunscreen comes in a slim container that barely takes up any room in a bag, plus can easily fit in a standard water bottle pouch on the side of a backpack. The cap twists into a lock position, so wherever you store it, you can be sure it won’t leak or soak any of your belongings.
The Hawaiian Tropic Everyday Active Sunscreen Spray will protect you from the sun with its expert-approved, broad-spectrum SPF 30 formulation. It’s water- and sweat-resistant for 80 minutes and is made without the chemical ingredients that the FDA and other studies have warned us to avoid. It’s incredibly easy to apply, and its smell, feel on the skin and lack of streaking place it solidly as our runner-up for best sunscreen.
If you don’t want a spray or if you have a sensitive sense of smell, then the Alba Botanica Sport Sunscreen is the pick for you. It scored remarkably high in our testing, a few points below our overall winner, just beating out the cult-favorite Sun Bum sunscreen (which we also loved; scroll down to read about other sunscreens we tested). The chemical sunscreen shone brightest in its ease of application and ability to disappear right into the skin. Its light texture rubbed in quickly, and one of our testers even said it left her skin looking glowy.
The Alba sunscreen is marketed as fragrance-free, which rings mostly true as both our testers loved its light and subtle scent. The only dings really came with the sunscreen’s feel, as it was a little thick and left a chalky feeling on one tester’s fingers after application.
Alba’s sunscreen comes in a small, compact bottle so you can easily stash it in any bag. The cap snaps shut, and while it doesn’t have a locking mechanism, it’s quite secure and shouldn’t leak.
The Alba Botanica Sport Sunscreen’s broad-spectrum, SPF 45 lotion met all the experts’ standards for offering stellar sun protection, while avoiding the harsh chemicals the FDA has proposed as unsafe. If you’re looking for a sunscreen lotion that goes on fast or an option with little to no scent, we think the Alba Botanica Sport Sunscreen is the best one to keep you covered.
We selected 25 sunscreens to test after extensively researching the different types available, their active ingredients and minimum requirements for effective protection against the sun. We later added eight more to update our testing pool. We relied heavily on research done by the FDA and spoke to various experts who echoed and supported the conclusions of the FDA.
We interviewed several experts, including dermatologists, to create these criteria. Dr. David Colbert, the founder and head physician at New York Dermatology Group, says micronized zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (the two mineral sunscreen ingredients) are the best active ingredients to look for because they are inertly safe. “Chemical sunblocks — the super-long words most people can’t say or spell such as methoxycinnamate — can get into the bloodstream and the environment,” he says. “I prefer physical sunblocks and, of course, sunblock clothing and umbrellas.”
The experts we talked to also praised physical sunscreens for their gentleness on the skin. “The physical sunscreens’ ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide tend to be better tolerated by people with sensitive skin and can usually be found in sunscreens for babies and children,” says Dr. Elisabeth G. Richard, a member of the photobiology committee at The Skin Cancer Foundation, who’s also a practicing dermatologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Above all, Richard says it’s more important you use sunscreen than the ingredients in it. “We believe the best sunscreen is the one you’ll use,” she says. “What’s most important is choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher that suits your skin and activity.”
We tested only broad-spectrum sunscreens (meaning they block both UVA and UVB rays) that had an SPF of 30 or above and didn’t contain oxybenzone or either of the two ingredients the FDA suggested as unsafe (aminobenzoic acid — commonly referred to as PABA — and trolamine salicylate).
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Ease of application: Testers applied the sunscreen according to its directions and noted how difficult it was to apply to their entire bodies.
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Time of application: Each tester applied the sunscreen three times and found the average time it took to apply the product thoroughly.
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Sunscreen visibility: After applying each sunscreen, we noted if it left any color or white marks on the skin, or if it disappeared completely.
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Sunscreen feel: We examined how the sunscreen felt on the skin, noting if it was sticky, greasy, thick or thin.
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Sunscreen smell: We smelled the sunscreen whenever we applied it and noted if it had a pleasant scent.
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Sunscreen price: We considered if each sunscreen was worth the price.
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Leaks: We examined the bottle to see if it would leak easily, giving points to sunscreens with secure caps.
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Size: We were careful to note the amount of sunscreen in each tube or case.
Our testers, who all had different skin types and tones, loved the Unseen Sunscreen in SPF 40 because it was actually 100% invisible (even on darker skin tones and acne-prone skin) and scentless, which made it feel weightless.
The Unseen Sunscreen Invisible Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 lives up to its name since we found it invisible, weightless and scentless. All testers agreed these elements made it easy to apply and, more importantly, reapply. The Supergoop! sunscreen also boasts a natural and hydrating finish, similar to the Murad sunscreen, but without the subtle orange scent.
Our only complaint is that this sunscreen is on the pricier side. Several testers found that, because the sunscreen is so easy to use and weightless, we could nearly empty the whole bottle in one day, especially since it’s recommended to reapply this sunscreen at least every two hours or after 40 minutes of swimming or sweating. If you do the math, one tube that costs $44 for 3.4 ounces will likely only last you a few beach trips at most. That’s not the best value.
Our testers appreciated this lightweight mineral sunscreen from First Aid Beauty because it was ultra sheer and weightless, which was surprising for a thicker-looking sunscreen.
This luxurious, weightless mineral sunscreen from First Aid Beauty is vegan, cruelty-free and reef-safe, meaning it doesn’t contain a laundry list of chemicals, specifically things like oxybenzone, parabens, nano-sized zinc or titanium dioxide, or microplastics. Our team appreciated how light this sunscreen felt and liked knowing it’s a better pick for the environment too.
It’s also safe for sensitive skin, fragrance-free and, most importantly, noncomedogenic, meaning it won’t clog your pores. It’s made with light coverage in mind, so if you’re looking to cover up some blemishes without a thick foundation and some SPF thrown into the mix, this could be a great summertime option.
The Verta Coconut Vanilla Sunscreen Body Spray SPF 50 stood out to our team for its deliciously tropical scent. It’s free from harmful chemicals, easy to apply and costs less than $25.
Vertra Coconut Vanilla Body Spray SPF 50 is a great sunscreen to bring on any beach day, thanks to its tropical scent and water-resistant power.
We found this spray sunscreen to apply evenly and quickly, making it easy to use all over the body. We also appreciated that there was no white cast and it was less greasy than other sunscreens we tested. Overall, this was a great option that glided on the skin, all with a lovely coconut scent that isn’t harmful to the environment.
The La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Pro-Sunscreen SPF 50 formula fell short of our tester’s expectations. While the coverage left no white cast, it did not live up to its lightweight claim.
Our tester had high hopes for the La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Pro-Sport Sunscreen SPF 50, but the reality was a formula that did not live up to its promises. Associate writer Maxwell Shukuya found that the formula did drip, stinging his eyes when he wore it on a hike, and while it’s recommended for both face and body, the sunscreen felt greasy when applied to the face.
“La Roche-Posay’s formula felt less like a premium, all-purpose sunscreen and more like something I’d pay $10 for at my local drugstore,” Shukuya said. Still, he acknowledged that the sunscreen doesn’t leave a white cast, and it protects your skin with its SPF 50 coverage.
Supergoop! Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40 is a matte formula with a tinted finish. Our tester praised it as one of the best tinted sunscreens they’ve tried.
Supergoop is indeed a cult favorite, and according to our tester, the Supergoop! Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40 is one of the best tinted sunscreens for oily, acne-prone skin. “Its formula is airy, maybe even a little powdery, and it soaks into greasy skin without adding any heft,” Shukuya said.
While the Mineral Mattescreen is a slam-dunk product, its cost is the main detractor. While Shukuya described the price as eye-popping, he also said, “As someone who’s used Supergoop!’s Mattescreen as a daily face sunscreen for around a year, I can confirm the formula is worth the price and will last months, if used sparingly.”
Bask Nonaerosol Invisible Mist Sunscreen is a vegan and Hawaii-reef-safe formula. Our tester loved the scent and fast-drying feel of the spray sunscreen.
The first thing associate testing writer Gareen Puglia said she enjoyed about the Bask Nonaerosol sunscreen spray was its feel and scent. The SPF 30 iteration of the formula is easy to apply and is clear out of the bottle. The coconut scent is not overpowering, but it’s just fragrant enough to make you feel like you’re heading to the beach (even if you’re far from vacation).
Fragrance aside, the Bask sunscreen offers lasting protection and dries fast on the skin, so you won’t get that excess sticky feeling you sometimes experience with spray sunscreen. Puglia found her skin felt hydrated whenever she applied it. “The Bask Nonaerosol Invisible Mist Sunscreen feels great on the skin. I don’t have to worry about white cast, and the smell reminds me of summer,” she said.
This sunscreen had the highest SPF out of the 24 we tested. This broad-spectrum sunscreen is designed for those with active lifestyles since it’s water-resistant and quick drying, and doesn’t feel sticky.
The Neutrogena Sport Active Defense Sunscreen Spray is a sweat- and water-resistant formula. Puglia sported this sunscreen while exercising outdoors and found no dripping, even when she worked up a solid sweat.
It even has a minty fragrance for a cool and refreshing sensation. Other testers found it dried clear on the skin, although one tester said he had a bit of a white cast after applying. Although some found it slippery, all found it lightweight and comparable to a moisturizer. This could be due to the addition of antioxidant multivitamins C and E, but regardless, this is a good option for outdoor athletes who need extra sun protection with some skin care benefits.
We liked this sunscreen from the tried-and-trusted brand Aveeno for its moisturizing capability. We should apply sunscreen to all body parts exposed to the sun, but be especially mindful of the face to avoid fine lines and wrinkles.
Our testers appreciated this sunscreen’s 2-in-1 power, meaning it acted as both a sweat-resistant moisturizer with prebiotic oat leaves to soften and moisturize skin as well as a sunscreen, all while being nongreasy, hypoallergenic and oil-free. It dried invisibly with no white cast in our testing and felt nice on our testers’ faces. The only downside was the smell, which was the most sunscreen-like of the bunch.
This tinted mineral sunscreen from One Skin protects skin from advanced aging with UV filters and potent antioxidants, and is scientifically proven to reverse UV-induced aging.
We liked that this tinted option was made with five powerful natural ingredients, including vitamin C, green tea, açai extract, tara fruit extract, sunflower sprout and bisabolol, an anti-aging skin care ingredient that is anti-inflammatory.
This sunscreen boasts that it’s safe, clean and suitable for all skin types. One darker-toned tester saw a slight white cast left behind, but other fair-toned testers found it rubbed evenly into the skin. This is often the case with mineral sunscreens, although One Skin formulated this sheer-tinted formula with all skin types in mind. All testers noted there was no smell and that it was quite easy to use.
This sunscreen lotion is made with an ultra-radiance formula that will leave skin looking luminous, all without that greasy feel due to its oil-free nature. Most know this brand for its iconic Hawaiian Tropic scent, which is reminiscent of the botanicals of the island. Since this line is Hawaii-focused, this formula is also PETA certified and cruelty-free, made with island-inspired ingredients like papaya, mango, passion fruit and guava.
The Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen lotion performed quite well, but not as well as its spray-bottle counterpart. It lost a few points on ease of application and size. Overall, it’s a solid sunscreen that rubbed into the skin well and wasn’t too thick, but its tropical, fruity smell may be overpowering to some.
Banana Boat’s broad-spectrum chemical sunscreen is lightweight, breathable and, most importantly, water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. It absorbs quickly too, which is great for sport-strength sun protection all day long.
This chemical sunscreen also scored very well in our testing, achieving high marks for ease of application, how it felt on the skin and visibility. One of our testers said it was a little harsh on her sensitive skin, though, and the chemical smell can be overbearing. But if those factors aren’t an issue for you, this option from Banana Boat is a top-notch spray sunscreen.
Sun Bum’s beloved sunscreen lotion is noncomedogenic and dermatologist-approved, thanks to its oil-free formulation and addition of vitamin E. It should be applied 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating.
Sun Bum’s chemical sunscreen was one of our favorites. It has a light texture that rubs in quickly, and boy, oh boy, does it smell good. The creamy banana scent had us reaching for Sun Bum more than most of the other options in our testing pool. It was just a few points shy of our winners because it took more time to apply than the sprays, and comes in a bottle that’s a bit bulky.
The Coppertone Pure and Simple Sunscreen Lotion rubbed in much better than other mineral options and has a light feel. It’s an SPF 50, broad-spectrum formulation with zinc oxide as its only active ingredient.
The lotion itself is thin enough that it applies smoothly to the skin. However, like all mineral sunscreens we tested, it took a while to sink in. One of our testers saw a slight but noticeable white cast on her skin after applying, while another said it took some rubbing but most of the chalkiness and color eventually disappeared.
This sunscreen didn’t have much of a smell, though our testers did pick up a slight chalky, mineral scent. The Coppertone felt gentle on the skin, with no issues or irritation, which makes it a go-to option for anyone with sensitive skin.
This pricier sunscreen is formulated with ceramides and humectants to help restore the skin’s natural moisture level. It’s also made with vitamin C, green tea, cranberry fruit and pomegranate extracts for an added nourishing benefit.
MDSolarSciences is one of the most expensive sunscreens we tested, but it fell short of our top picks in many categories. It didn’t have a discernible scent, which was nice, but it felt greasy on the skin, making our testers sweat more and leaving them desperately wanting a shower.
California Kids stood out for its strict allergy testing, meaning it’s free of common allergens like gluten, wheat, soy, sesame, oat, dairy, peanuts and tree nuts (except coconut). It’s also made with baby-safe ingredients and is benzene-free, making it ultra safe for those with sensitive skin.
The biggest issue with this mineral sunscreen from California Kids was how long it took to rub into the skin. It lacks a strong scent, which is a plus, but our testers docked points because it left a white residue that wouldn’t go away.
Thinksport mineral sunscreen is described as hydrating, quick to apply and fast absorbing. It’s also an ideal sunscreen for athletes or those with sensitive skin because of its clean formula. It boasts the highest water resistance per the FDA, which is up to 80 minutes before reapplication.
This sunscreen is made with the sole active ingredient of zinc oxide. It was incredibly thick and took quite a while to fully apply. Even after our testers took a long time to thoroughly rub it in, it left white streaks too. Several other mineral options we tested, such as the Coppertone and Alba sunscreens, were much easier to apply.
Alba Botanica’s fragrance-free sunscreen is made with a botanical blend of aloe vera, sunflower seed oil and avocado oil. It’s also made with a biodegradable formula and made with 100% vegetarian ingredients that dry quickly.
This spray sunscreen from Alba was comparable to the Coppertone mineral sunscreen. The spray function made application a much faster process, but we still had to rub in the sunscreen a lot, as it came out white and chalky.
The CeraVe sunscreen stick is a fantastic option for a portable sunscreen you can keep in your purse, but its small size means it’s a pain to apply to your entire body.
The CeraVe sunscreen is a mineral formula with a decent smell and feel, but its petite size and ultimate portability made it stand out.
This mineral sunscreen is the most expensive on our list but scored lower than many other, cheaper options. It’s designed with EnviroScreen technology to provide invisible 100% mineral protection from UVA/UVB pollution, blue light and infrared radiation.
It didn’t feel amazing on the skin, with one tester describing it as matte and silky but still felt as though there was a thick film on his skin. It had a light scent reminiscent of makeup, but it’s too expensive compared with the other, better options we tested.
This weightless, non-nano SPF 50 mineral sunscreen serum melts into skin and enhances your “natural glow.” It does so by blurring pores and fine lines while aiding in preventing the visible signs of aging. It’s also designed for all skin types.
We appreciated the ultra-specific and targeted formulation of this sunscreen. The downside is that it comes in only two sheer tints: 1 (light to medium) and 2 (medium to deep), which seemed to be quite limited. Aside from the coverage options, we appreciated that this sunscreen didn’t have any white cast or pilling.
Visor sunscreen is a high-quality sunscreen with added skin care benefits like vitamin C, jojoba, shea butter, hyaluronic acid and more. We found it was comparable to the Supergoop! sunscreen because of its invisible nature, but it was more fast-drying and nongreasy.
Read our review
We found this sunscreen to be soft and silky upon application, and even hydrating, thanks to the hyaluronic acid. The sunscreen is also under $20, which is a good budget option if you don’t want to splurge on Supergoop! or other invisible sunscreens.
Editor’s Note: We also tested Paula’s Choice Resist Skin-Restoring Moisturizer With SPF 50 but have removed it from this guide as it contains ingredients deemed unsafe by the FDA.
Answered by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick and Dr. Elisabeth G. Richard, a member of the photobiology committee at The Skin Cancer Foundation.
CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test the products in our testing guides and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have a skilled team of writers and editors with many years of testing experience who ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when relevant to make certain we are testing each product accurately and speaking to the pros and cons of each item.
For this guide, outdoors editor Kai Burkhardt and associate writers Carolina Gazal, Gareen Puglia and Maxwell Shukuya tried 25 different sunscreens over multiple testing periods. This group product testing allowed us to see how each sunscreen worked with different skin types and preferences.
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